HBC reports on a countryside management open day and horses removing troublesome bracken sustainably

Hastings Borough Council has invited Frankie Woodgate and her heavy horses back to Hastings Country Park in June. Everyone is welcome to come along and meet them at an open day. This will be Friday 14 June from 11 am to 1pm in Warren Glen, when you can find out more about traditional countryside management. Find Frankie and her horses by walking along the access for all routes at the back of the Coastguard’s Cottages and heading down into Warren Glen.

Colin Fitzgerald, lead councillor for environmental services said,

“Using heavy horses and a roller is a traditional way of reducing the amount of bracken in Warren Glen. It is also the most sustainable and practical as the horses can reach areas of the glen inaccessible to machinery.”

“Over the years bracken has smothered the native wildflower communities of the glen. Reducing the cover of bracken allows the coastal wildflowers and invertebrates to flourish again, increasing the biodiversity of this important habitat. “

This is the fifth year Frankie and her heavy horses have come to Hastings Country Park.


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